Foot & Tie

I have a new boss who uses the phrase "foot & tie" in many discussions
to mean "is connected to".

For example "This report foot & ties to this graph which in turn
foot & ties to the analysis you see before you".

I have done some searching and can find no reference to this particular
phrase. From some of the other conversational references I think
that it may be Irish in origine and the spelling I have assigned
to it is phonetic.